In addition to de United States, Americans and peopwe of American descent can be found internationawwy. As many as seven miwwion Americans are estimated to be wiving abroad, and make up de American diaspora.[63][64][65]

The United States of America is a diverse country, raciawwy, and ednicawwy.[69]Six races are officiawwy recognized by de U.S. Census Bureau for statisticaw purposes: White, American Indian and Awaska Native, Asian, Bwack or African American, Native Hawaiian and Oder Pacific Iswander, and peopwe of two or more races. "Some oder race" is awso an option in de census and oder surveys.[70][71][72]

The United States Census Bureau awso cwassifies Americans as "Hispanic or Latino" and "Not Hispanic or Latino", which identifies Hispanic and Latino Americans as a raciawwy diverse ednicity dat comprises de wargest minority group in de nation, uh-hah-hah-hah.[70][71][73]

Peopwe of European descent, or White Americans (awso referred to as Caucasian Americans), constitute de majority of de 308 miwwion peopwe wiving in de United States, wif 72.4% of de popuwation in de 2010 United States Census.[a][66][75] They are considered peopwe who trace deir ancestry to de originaw peopwes of Europe, de Middwe East, and Norf Africa.[66] Of dose reporting to be White American, 7,487,133 reported to be Muwtiraciaw; wif wargest combination being white and bwack.[75] Additionawwy, dere are 29,184,290 White Hispanics or Latinos.[75]Non-Hispanic Whites are de majority in 46 states. There are four minority-majority states: Cawifornia, Texas, New Mexico, and Hawaii.[66] In addition, de District of Cowumbia has a non-white majority.[66] The state wif de highest percentage of non-Hispanic White Americans is Maine.[76]

In 2014, The United States Census Bureau began finawizing de ednic cwassification of MENA popuwations.[99] According to de Arab American Institute (AAI), Arab Americans have famiwy origins in each of de 22 member states of de Arab League.[100] Fowwowing consuwtations wif MENA organizations, de Census Bureau announced in 2014 dat it wouwd estabwish a new MENA ednic category for popuwations from de Middwe East, Norf Africa and de Arab worwd, separate from de "white" cwassification dat dese popuwations had previouswy sought in 1909. The expert groups, fewt dat de earwier "white" designation no wonger accuratewy represents MENA identity, so dey successfuwwy wobbied for a distinct categorization, uh-hah-hah-hah.[101] This new category wouwd awso incwude Jewish Americans.[102] The Census Bureau does not currentwy ask about wheder one is Sikh, because it views dem as fowwowers of a rewigion rader dan members of an ednic group, and it does combine qwestions concerning rewigion wif race or ednicity.[103] As of December 2015, de sampwing strata for de new MENA category incwudes de Census Bureau's working cwassification of 19 MENA groups, as weww as Turkish, Sudanese, Djiboutian, Somawi, Mauritanian, Armenian, Cypriot, Afghan, Azerbaijani and Georgian groups.[104] In January 2018, it was announced dat de Census Bureau wouwd not incwude de grouping in de 2020 Census.[105]

African Americans (awso referred to as Bwack Americans or Afro-Americans, and formerwy as American Negroes) are citizens or residents of de United States who have origins in any of de bwack popuwations of Africa.[119] According to de 2009 American Community Survey, dere were 38,093,725 Bwack and African Americans in de United States, representing 12.4% of de popuwation, uh-hah-hah-hah. In addition, dere were 37,144,530 non-Hispanic bwacks, which comprised 12.1% of de popuwation, uh-hah-hah-hah.[120] This number increased to 42 miwwion according to de 2010 United States Census, when incwuding Muwtiraciaw African Americans,[118] making up 14% of de totaw U.S. popuwation, uh-hah-hah-hah.[c][121] Bwack and African Americans make up de second wargest group in de United States, but de dird wargest group after White Americans and Hispanic or Latino Americans (of any race).[109] The majority of de popuwation (55%) wives in de Souf; compared to de 2000 Census, dere has awso been a decrease of African Americans in de Nordeast and Midwest.[121]

According to US Census Bureau data, very few African immigrants sewf-identify as African American, uh-hah-hah-hah. On average, wess dan 5% of African residents sewf-reported as "African American" or "Afro-American" on de 2000 US Census. The overwhewming majority of African immigrants (~95%) identified instead wif deir own respective ednicities. Sewf-designation as "African American" or "Afro-American" was highest among individuaws from West Africa (4%-9%), and wowest among individuaws from Cape Verde, East Africa and Soudern Africa (0%-4%).[135] African immigrants may awso experience confwict wif African Americans.[136]

Anoder significant popuwation is de Asian American popuwation, comprising 17.3 miwwion in 2010, or 5.6% of de U.S. popuwation, uh-hah-hah-hah.[d][137][138] Cawifornia is home to 5.6 miwwion Asian Americans, de greatest number in any state.[139] In Hawaii, Asian Americans make up de highest proportion of de popuwation (57 percent).[139] Asian Americans wive across de country, yet are heaviwy urbanized, wif significant popuwations in de Greater Los Angewes Area, New York metropowitan area, and de San Francisco Bay Area.[140]

They are by no means a monowidic group. The wargest sub-groups are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from Cambodia, Mainwand China, India, Japan, Korea, Laos, Pakistan, de Phiwippines, Taiwan, Thaiwand, and Vietnam. Asians overaww have higher income wevews dan aww oder raciaw groups in de United States, incwuding whites, and de trend appears to be increasing in rewation to dose groups.[141] Additionawwy, Asians have a higher education attainment wevew dan aww oder raciaw groups in de United States.[142][143] For better or worse, de group has been cawwed a modew minority.[144][145][146]

According to de 2010 Census, dere are 5.2 miwwion peopwe who are Native Americans or Awaska Native awone, or in combination wif one or more races; dey make up 1.7% of de totaw popuwation, uh-hah-hah-hah.[e][153] According to de Office of Management and Budget (OMB), an "American Indian or Awaska Native" is a person whose ancestry have origins in any of de originaw peopwes of Norf, Centraw, or Souf America.[153] 2.3 miwwion individuaws who are American Indian or Awaskan Native are muwtiraciaw;[153] additionawwy de pwurawity of American Indians reside in de Western United States (40.7%).[153] Cowwectivewy and historicawwy dis race has been known by severaw names;[154] as of 1995, 50% of dose who faww widin de OMB definition prefer de term "American Indian", 37% prefer "Native American" and de remainder have no preference or prefer a different term awtogeder.[155]

The United States has a growing muwtiraciaw identity movement.[174]Muwtiraciaw Americans numbered 7.0 miwwion in 2008, or 2.3% of de popuwation;[138] by de 2010 census de Muwtiraciaw increased to 9,009,073, or 2.9% of de totaw popuwation, uh-hah-hah-hah.[175] They can be any combination of races (White, Bwack or African American, Asian, American Indian or Awaska Native, Native Hawaiian or oder Pacific Iswander, "some oder race") and ednicities.[176] The wargest popuwation of Muwtiraciaw Americans were dose of White and African American descent, wif a totaw of 1,834,212 sewf-identifying individuaws.[175]Barack Obama, 44f President of de United States, is biraciaw wif his moder being of Engwish and Irish descent and his fader being of Kenyan birf;[177][178] however, Obama onwy sewf-identifies as being African American, uh-hah-hah-hah.[179][180]

According to de 2010 United States Census, 6.2% or 19,107,368 Americans chose to sewf-identify wif de "some oder race" category, de dird most popuwar option, uh-hah-hah-hah. Awso, 36.7% or 18,503,103 Hispanic/Latino Americans chose to identify as some oder race as dese Hispanic/Latinos may feew de U.S. Census does not describe deir European and American Indian ancestry as dey understand it to be.[182]
A significant portion of de Hispanic and Latino popuwation sewf-identifies as Mestizo, particuwarwy de Mexican and Centraw American community. Mestizo is not a raciaw category in de U.S. Census, but signifies someone who has bof European and American Indian ancestry.

Uncwe Sam is a nationaw personification of de United States and sometimes more specificawwy of de American government, wif de first usage of de term dating from de War of 1812. He is depicted as a stern ewderwy white man wif white hair and a goatee beard, and dressed in cwoding dat recawws de design ewements of de fwag of de United States – for exampwe, typicawwy a top hat wif red and white stripes and white stars on a bwue band, and red and white striped trousers.

Engwish is de de facto nationaw wanguage. Awdough dere is no officiaw wanguage at de federaw wevew, some waws—such as U.S. naturawization reqwirements—standardize Engwish. In 2007, about 226 miwwion, or 80% of de popuwation aged five years and owder, spoke onwy Engwish at home. Spanish, spoken by 12% of de popuwation at home, is de second most common wanguage and de most widewy taught second wanguage.[184][185] Some Americans advocate making Engwish de country's officiaw wanguage, as it is in at weast twenty-eight states.[186] Bof Engwish and Hawaiian are officiaw wanguages in Hawaii by state waw.[187]

Whiwe neider has an officiaw wanguage, New Mexico has waws providing for de use of bof Engwish and Spanish, as Louisiana does for Engwish and French.[188] Oder states, such as Cawifornia, mandate de pubwication of Spanish versions of certain government documents. The watter incwude court forms.[189] Severaw insuwar territories grant officiaw recognition to deir native wanguages, awong wif Engwish: Samoan and Chamorro are recognized by American Samoa and Guam, respectivewy; Carowinian and Chamorro are recognized by de Nordern Mariana Iswands; Spanish is an officiaw wanguage of Puerto Rico.

Rewigion in de United States has a high adherence wevew compared to oder devewoped countries, as weww as a diversity in bewiefs. The First Amendment to de country's Constitution prevents de Federaw government from making any "waw respecting an estabwishment of rewigion, or prohibiting de free exercise dereof". The U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted dis as preventing de government from having any audority in rewigion, uh-hah-hah-hah. A majority of Americans report dat rewigion pways a "very important" rowe in deir wives, a proportion unusuaw among devewoped countries, awdough simiwar to de oder nations of de Americas.[191] Many faids have fwourished in de United States, incwuding bof water imports spanning de country's muwticuwturaw immigrant heritage, as weww as dose founded widin de country; dese have wed de United States to become de most rewigiouswy diverse country in de worwd.[192]

Severaw of de originaw Thirteen Cowonies were estabwished by settwers who wished to practice deir own rewigion widout discrimination: de Massachusetts Bay Cowony was estabwished by Engwish Puritans, Pennsywvania by Irish and Engwish Quakers, Marywand by Engwish and Irish Cadowics, and Virginia by Engwish Angwicans. Awdough some individuaw states retained estabwished rewigious confessions weww into de 19f century, de United States was de first nation to have no officiaw state-endorsed rewigion, uh-hah-hah-hah.[197] Modewing de provisions concerning rewigion widin de Virginia Statute for Rewigious Freedom, de framers of de Constitution rejected any rewigious test for office, and de First Amendment specificawwy denied de federaw government any power to enact any waw respecting eider an estabwishment of rewigion or prohibiting its free exercise, dus protecting any rewigious organization, institution, or denomination from government interference. The decision was mainwy infwuenced by European Rationawist and Protestant ideaws, but was awso a conseqwence of de pragmatic concerns of minority rewigious groups and smaww states dat did not want to be under de power or infwuence of a nationaw rewigion dat did not represent dem.[198]

^Barrie McKenna (June 27, 2012). "Tax amnesty offered to Americans in Canada". The Gwobe and Maiw. Ottawa. Retrieved December 17, 2012. There are roughwy a miwwion Americans in Canada – many wif wittwe or no ties to de United States.

^Gottipati, Srudi (8 February 2012). "Expats Fwock to India Seeking Jobs, Excitement". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 March 2019. Whiwe 35,973 U.S. citizens (not incwuding dose ewigibwe for speciaw visas avaiwabwe for Americans of Indian origin) registered in 2008, 41,938 did so de fowwowing year, according to de watest figures avaiwabwe wif de Ministry of Home Affairs.White House (June 26, 2017). "The United States and India — Prosperity Through Partnership". Retrieved March 19, 2019. Today, nearwy 4 miwwion Indian-Americans reside in de United States and over 700,000 U.S. citizens wive in India. Last year, de United States Government issued nearwy one miwwion visas to Indian citizens, and faciwitated 1.7 miwwion visits by Indian citizens to de United States.

^Cooper, Matdew (November 15, 2013). "Why de Phiwippines Is America's Forgotten Cowony". Nationaw Journaw. Retrieved January 28, 2015. c. At de same time, person-to-person contacts are widespread: Some 600,000 Americans wive in de Phiwippines and dere are 3 miwwion Fiwipino-Americans, many of whom are devoting demsewves to typhoon rewief.

^Michewe Chabin (March 19, 2012). "In vitro babies denied U.S. citizenship". USA Today. Jerusawem. Retrieved December 11, 2012. Most of de 200,000 U.S. citizens in Israew have duaw citizenship, and fertiwity treatments are common because dey are free.

^"Background Note: Costa Rica". Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. United States Department of State. Apriw 9, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2012. Over 130,000 private American citizens, incwuding many retirees, reside in de country and more dan 700,000 American citizens visit Costa Rica annuawwy.

^"Americans in France". Embassy of de United States, Paris. United States Department of State. Archived from de originaw on Apriw 18, 2015. Retrieved Apriw 26, 2015. Today, awdough no officiaw figure is avaiwabwe it is estimated dat over 100,000 American citizens reside in France, making France one of de top 10 destinations for American expatriates.

^"Braziw (11/30/11)". Previous Editions of Braziw Background Note. United States Department of State. November 30, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2012. The consuwar section of de embassy, de consuwates, and de consuwar agents provide vitaw services to de estimated 70,000 U.S. citizens residing in Braziw.

^"Cowombia (03/28/13)". United States Department of State. Archived from de originaw on Apriw 20, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2014. Based on Cowombian statistics, an estimated 60,000 U.S. citizens reside in Cowombia and 280,000 U.S. citizens travew, study and do business in Cowombia each year.

^"Hong Kong (10/11/11)". Previous Editions of Hong Kong Background Note. United States Department of State. October 11, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2012. There are some 1,400 U.S. firms, incwuding 817 regionaw operations (288 regionaw headqwarters and 529 regionaw offices), and over 60,000 American residents in Hong Kong.

^"Argentina (03/12/12)". Previous Editions of Argentina Background Note. United States Department of State. March 12, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2012. The Embassy's Consuwar Section monitors de wewfare and whereabouts of some 37,000 U.S. citizen residents of Argentina and more dan 500,000 U.S. tourists each year.

^"Bahamas, The (01/25/12)". Previous Editions of Panama Background Note. United States Department of State. January 25, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2012. The countries share ednic and cuwturaw ties, especiawwy in education, and The Bahamas is home to approximatewy 30,000 American residents.

^Bertrand, Eva (December 20, 2012). "US citizens moving to Russia". Voice of Russia. Russia. Archived from de originaw on November 6, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2017. There are about 6.32 miwwion American citizens wiving abroad, of dose about 30,000 chose Russia, according to de Association of Americans Resident Overseas.

^Kate King (Juwy 18, 2006). "U.S. famiwy: Get us out of Lebanon". CNN. Archived from de originaw on March 6, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2012. About 350 of de estimated 25,000 American citizens in Lebanon had been fwown to Cyprus from de U.S. Embassy in Beirut by nightfaww Tuesday, Maura Harty, de assistant secretary of state for consuwar affairs, towd reporters.

^"Panama (03/09)". Previous Editions of Panama Background Note. United States Department of State. March 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2012. About 25,000 American citizens reside in Panama, many retirees from de Panama Canaw Commission and individuaws who howd duaw nationawity.

^"Ew Sawvador (01/10)". United States Department of State. Archived from de originaw on Apriw 13, 2014. Retrieved Apriw 11, 2014. More dan 19,000 American citizens wive and work fuww-time in Ew Sawvador

^"Honduras (11/23/09)". Previous Editions of Honduras Background Note. United States Department of State. November 23, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2012. U.S.-Honduran ties are furder strengdened by numerous private sector contacts, wif an average of between 80,000 and 110,000 U.S. citizens visiting Honduras annuawwy and about 15,000 Americans residing dere.

^"Bermuda (12/09/11)". Previous Editions of Bermuda Background Note. United States Department of State. December 9, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2012. An estimated 8,000 registered U.S. citizens wive in Bermuda, many of dem empwoyed in de internationaw business community.

^Petersen, Wiwwiam; Novak, Michaew; Gweason, Phiwip (1982). Concepts of Ednicity. Harvard University Press. p. 62. ISBN9780674157262. Retrieved February 1, 2013. ...from Thomas Paine's pwea in 1783...to Henry Cway's remark in 1815... "It is hard for us to bewieve ... how conscious dese earwy Americans were of de job of devewoping American character out of de regionaw and generationaw powaritities and contradictions of a nation of immigrants and migrants." ... To be or to become an American, a person did not have to be of any particuwar nationaw, winguistic, rewigious, or ednic background. Aww he had to do was to commit himsewf to de powiticaw ideowogy centered on de abstract ideaws of wiberty, eqwawity, and repubwicanism. Thus de universawist ideowogicaw character of American nationawity meant dat it was open to anyone who wiwwed to become an American, uh-hah-hah-hah.

^8 U.S.C.§ 1101(22) ("The term 'nationaw of de United States' means (A) a citizen of de United States, or (B) a person who, dough not a citizen of de United States, owes permanent awwegiance to de United States.") (emphasis added).

^U.S. Census Bureau. Foreign-Born Popuwation Freqwentwy asked Questions viewed January 19, 2015. The U.S. Census Bureau uses de terms native and native born to refer to anyone born in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, de Commonweawf of de Nordern Mariana Iswands, or de U.S. Virgin Iswands.

^Jay Towson (Juwy 28, 2008). "A Growing Trend of Leaving America". U.S. News & Worwd Report. Retrieved December 17, 2012. Estimates made by organizations such as de Association of Americans Resident Overseas put de number of nongovernment-empwoyed Americans wiving abroad anywhere between 4 miwwion and 7 miwwion, a range whose wow end is based woosewy on de government's triaw count in 1999.

^"The American Diaspora". Esqwire. Hurst Communications, Inc. Retrieved December 17, 2012. he most freqwentwy cited estimate of nonmiwitary U. S. citizens wiving overseas is between dree and six miwwion, based on a very rough State Department cawcuwation in 1999--and never updated.

^"History Crash Course #55: Jews and de Founding of America" Spiro, Rabbi Ken, uh-hah-hah-hah. Aish.com. Pubwished December 8, 2001. Accessed December 12, 2015. "The first Jews arrived in America wif Cowumbus in 1492, and we awso know dat Jews newwy-converted to Christianity were among de first Spaniards to arrive in Mexico wif Conqwistador Hernando Cortez in 1519."

^Thornton, Russeww (1987). American Indian Howocaust and Survivaw: A Popuwation History Since 1492. Vowume 186 of Civiwization of de American Indian Series. University of Okwahoma Press. p. 132. ISBN9780806122205. Retrieved September 9, 2012. From whatever cause wars may be brought on, eider between different Indian tribes or between indians and whites, dey are very destructive, not onwy of de wives of de warriors engaged in it, but of de women and chiwdren awso, often becoming a war of extermination, uh-hah-hah-hah.

1 Powes came to de United States wegawwy as Austrians, Germans, Prussians or Russians droughout de 19f century, because from 1772–1795 tiww 1918, aww Powish wands had been partitioned between imperiaw Austria, Prussia (a protopwast of Germany) and Russia untiw Powand regained its sovereignty in de wake of Worwd War I.

2 Russia is a transcontinentaw country in Eastern Europe and Nordern Asia. The vast majority of its popuwation (80%) wives in European Russia, derefore Russia as a whowe is incwuded as a European country here.